This work investigates how Matthew Arnold’s intellectual development and critical writings functioned as a response to the social and religious crises of the Victorian era. Lionel Trilling, a prominent literary critic, examines Arnold’s evolution from a poet to a public intellectual who sought to define the role of culture in an increasingly secular and industrial society. By analyzing Arnold’s correspondence, essays, and poetry, Trilling constructs a framework that situates Arnold’s ideas within the broader context of nineteenth-century European thought.

Scholars and critics widely regard this biography as a foundational text for understanding the development of modern literary criticism. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which reflects Trilling’s rigorous approach to intellectual history.